Hidden Fire (15 page)

“Piri is Narri and Charlie's grandson and my best mate, aren't you, scamp?” John grabbed the child and pulled him into his lap, tickling him on the stomach.

Piri's happy laughter filled the shelter. Gili couldn't help but grin. Then Piri reached out and clutched at her, pulling himself onto her lap to get away from John. Before she knew it, Gili was involved in a game with both John and Piri, rolling in the dust as they tickled each other.

“Get your butt out here, John. I don't pay you to cavort with some fast city chick who decides she wants to slum it with the local boys.”

When she heard Morgan's bellow, a burst of anger slid through Gili's veins and lodged in her chest.
Fast city chick?

Why the hell did he say that like she was some dirty piece of garbage? Damn him, where did he get off talking about her like that? Trust him to spoil what had been a delightful interlude mucking about with Piri.

With a grimace, John scrambled out of the gunyah and faced Morgan. “Sorry, boss. I was just playing—”

“I know who you were playing with,” Morgan snapped. “How about you get back to work? There's still a hell of a lot to get done before we're finished today.”

“Sure thing, Morgan.” John sketched a salute and took off.

Piri's hand clutched in hers, Gili crawled out of the shelter. She bent and gave the little boy a hug. “How about you go see if Nan needs you for anything?”

Once Piri had taken off, Gili turned to Morgan. “Did you have to speak that way in front of the child?” She shook her head. “You know, you really are a—what is it the Aussies say?—a prick at times.”

He snorted. “Better a cockhead than a sl—”

She stepped closer and thumped him on the chest with her clenched fist. “Don't say it. Don't you dare say it.”

“Hey, if the cap fits—”

He broke off and moved away from her, dragging off his hat and running his hand through his hair. “I'm sorry, that was uncalled for.”

The apology didn't appease Gili. “You're damned right it was uncalled for. What the hell is wrong with you today? Last night—”

He jammed the hat back on his head. “Last night was incidental, just one of those things. As far as today goes, leave my men alone. I won't have them distracted from their work.”

Incidental
? Gili closed her eyes and dragged in a deep breath. How dare he relegate last night's lovemaking to the realms of a minor occurrence? “I screwed you so now I want to do all your men as well, is that it?”

He chose not to answer. Simply raised his eyebrows and grunted at her.

Arrogant ass
.

The fire in Gili's chest spread out and encompassed her whole body. She curled her hands into fists, the breath catching in her throat as she fought for control. For the first time in her life, she wanted to do someone a physical injury. Not just anyone. Morgan bloody Hunt.

She stepped up, nose to nose with him, invading his personal space so he knew how angry she was. She opened her mouth to spew vitriolic abuse at him and then closed it with a snap.

Boy needs a good shake-up
.

Charlie's words rolled through her brain, giving her pause. The old Aboriginal had intimated Morgan was scared. Of her? Or maybe of letting her in? Hmm… possibilities.

Tilting her head, she stared at him. The brim of his hat shadowed his upper face, but left the rest visible. His lips were a hard, tight slash. A nerve ticked in his jaw, giving a clear indication of the state of his emotional upheaval. Anger? Or something else? It was time to find out.

She ran her gaze over the rest of him. The work-shirt he wore hugged his washboard abs, the buttons straining against the width of his chest. Tight denim jeans moulded his muscular thighs. She almost wished he would turn around so she could check out his rear end. She'd always been a sucker for a nice tight butt.

Hands braced on his hips, legs set slightly apart, he looked like a force to be reckoned with. And yeah, baby, she was about to do some reckoning.

She was tired of him treating her like a pariah. If it was the last thing she did, she'd make him sit up and take notice. She owed him that after his treatment today.

Tension snapped between them, so thick Gili swore she could taste it. Her anger had morphed into a degree of sexual excitement that was difficult to contain. There was only one thing to do.

She leaned in so her breasts rested against his chest. As close as she was, she couldn't miss the tightening of his muscles. She wanted to crow, but managed to keep her face straight.

Tipping her head back, she glanced up at him under the shadow of his hat. “If I didn't know better, I'd say this all sounds a bit like a jealous lover worried about his woman showing attention to another man.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped.

With a provocative grin, she raised one hand and ran the tip of her finger down his cheek and across his top lip. “You worried about what I might get up to with John? Maybe you figure you're missing out on something. After all, last night was pretty quick, given how hot we were for each other. No time for any of the preliminaries.”

He stepped back a pace, but she followed him, maintaining body contact. “Of course, if I had to do it over again, I would have approached it differently.”

He snorted. “Oh yeah? And just what would you have done, Miss Smarty Pants?”

She paused, gathering her thoughts. Before she could say a word, he laughed, the tones fraught with derision. The sound bounced through Gili and made her see red.

Damn the cocky bastard. He really does need to be taken down a peg or two and I am just the girl to do it
.

She reached up and slipped her hands around his neck, pulling his head down to hers. With a slight smile, she swiped the tip of her tongue along his jaw. “Hmm, salty, hot, with just a hint of five o'clock shadow. Do you know how sexy that is?”

She moved closer still, until her thighs aligned with his. She nibbled along his chin before sliding down to lick and nip at his collarbone.

“Delicious.” She laved the love bites with a sweep of her tongue.

Morgan gripped her by the upper arms. “Gili, you're playing with fire here.”

“Oh, I do hope so. I'm just in the mood for a little burning.” She eased her hands from around his neck and walked her fingers down his chest. When she reached the first button on his shirt, she flicked it open. Then the next…and the one after that.

“Of course, it doesn't stop there. I'd want you so hot you'd be begging me to do you, but first things first.”

Her hands shook slightly as she spread open his shirt. Swooping, she laid a string of kisses across his chest, from one side to the other. When she reached each nipple, she tongued it, flicking and sucking until it was a hard little bead.

Morgan groaned, the sound dredged up from deep in his chest. He tightened his grip on her arms. She thought he'd push her away, but all he did was hold her in place, his heart thundering under the press of her lips.

Gili shivered. His skin felt hot to the touch and she'd bet odds it had nothing to do with the outback temperature. God, he tasted good. So good she couldn't help herself. She dipped her head and trailed her tongue down his torso, following the light dusting of body hair until it disappeared beneath the waist of his jeans. Hell, she couldn't stop now if she tried.

Her breathing hiked up to match his. The blood pounded through her body, sweeping heat before it. Heat that threatened to ignite into a fully-fledged conflagration if she took this too far. She should stop. But not yet. Please, not yet.

“When I had you all revved up,” she whispered, “I'd strip these clothes away and lick you all over until I knew every erotic spot on your body.”

She didn't need to ask if Morgan was listening. His body gave it away. His hips pressed closer and a steely erection brushed against her lower belly. Only for a moment, before she shuffled back a pace, but long enough for Gili to know he was as affected by all this talk as she was.

Her nipples peaked, brushing against the fabric of her top. Hunger flared to life. The breath gusted from her lips and she had to struggle to keep this game on track.

“Enough, Gili. We need to get back to work.”

“Not nearly enough, Morgan. I haven't finished yet. Not by a long stretch.”

She toyed with his belt buckle for a second before sliding her hand down between their bodies. “When I had you naked, I'd go down on my knees so I could take you into my mouth. My wet, hot mouth.”

She paused and covered the bulge of his erection with her palm. “Can you feel it, Morgan? My hot tongue flicking up and down your length? Probing. Teasing. Driving you crazy. Then I'd take you deep and—”

“Effing hell, Gili.” With a groan, he angled his hips, rubbing against her hand. “You're killing me. Much more and I won't be responsible for what'll happen.”

“Promises, promises,” she whispered. “After I've had my way with you and made you come in my mouth, I'd mount you. Ride you until you screamed out my name. Then I'd let you come again. You'd feel my muscles clench around you, milking you of everything you have to give.”

He panted, grinding his lower body against her. His hands slid down to hold her hips, anchoring her in place in front of him. He lowered his head and Gili suddenly stepped back out of his reach.

“Of course, it'll be all no-strings-attached, yes?” She shrugged. “I guess that means I can offer the same to John if he's of a mind to indulge.”

Morgan looked stunned. His mouth dropped open for a second before he dragged it shut. His jaw tightened, the nerve throbbing visibly again. He drew in an audible breath and huffed it out. Pushing the hat back on his head, he glared at her.

“You just stay away from my men. You're interrupting their work,” he ground out through clenched teeth. Then he turned on his heel and stomped off, his boots scuffing up small clouds of red dust around him.

“Hey, Morgan,” she called after him, “you don't get to treat me like a leper simply because it suits you. Payback's a pain, isn't it?”

Gili watched him for a few minutes before shaking her head. God, she was such a bitch. Worse, a tease. She hadn't intended to take things as far as she had, but Morgan has annoyed the heck out of her with his comments about John.

She'd allowed her temper to get the better of her, damn it. Now she'd have to deal with the fallout, because this little game sure wouldn't have endeared her to Morgan. He already had trust issues, thanks to Jeremy.

She considered racing after him to apologize. To tell him Jeremy had lied to him, and to make him understand how dangerous Jeremy and Whitey were, given her dad's so-called accident. She even took the first step. With a shake of her head, she stopped and dragged in a deep breath as one thing became clear.

There was no point. He wouldn't believe Jeremy was responsible for the theft of the ring. Jeremy had done too good a job with his lies, and as for his threats against her parents? Whitey had warned her to keep her mouth shut. She'd already gone against his orders when she'd warned Morgan Whitey had threatened him.

She couldn't tell him. If she did, Morgan would get the police involved and then where would her parents be? Jeremy would go after them the second she opened her mouth. She couldn't take the risk.

“Missy Gili, you are baaad.”

Heart in her mouth, Gili spun around to find Narri sliding from behind the gunyah Gili and John had just finished. “Narri, you scared me.”

Narri burst out laughing, her white teeth flashing in her dark face. “Bet you scared that poor boy even more. He don't know whether he be on his head or his heels right now.”

Gili grimaced, mortified to think this kindly woman has been a party to her little slice of revenge. She felt more childish than ever now. She sighed. “I know. I shouldn't have done it.”

“Nah, boy's due for a shake up. Might make him listen to ol' Charlie. That man knows. He hears the old ones and they got a plan for you both.”

She nudged Gili in the ribs. “Wouldn't do it too often though. Boy's gonna retaliate.”

“That's what I'm worried about. He's pretty fired up at me right now.”

Narri raised her eyebrows and grinned. “Fire's good, and if it pushes the boss in the right direction, even better. ‘Bout time the boy felt the fire ‘cause there's only so much heat a gal can take before she needs a man to quench it. Know what I mean?” She wandered off, cackling to herself as she went.

Never a truer word spoken
. Gili groaned. Her breasts were swollen, the nipples hard and throbbing. Tension gnawed at her, coiling like a solid ball in the pit of her stomach. A persistent ache centered between her thighs demanding a response, and soon.

Oh yeah, Gili knew exactly what Narri meant.

“You want me to get you some more to eat, Gili. Nan's doing kangaroo tails.” Piri bounced on the log beside Gili, almost unseating her.

“Whoa, slow down there, cowboy. You'll have me in the dust at this rate.”

Piri rolled his eyes. “Not cowboy. Stockman.” He thumped at his little chest. “I'm gonna be a stockman.”

Gili tickled him in the ribs, making him laugh. “I know that, smarty, but in America it would be a cowboy.”

She picked the child up and balanced him on her lap, his head tucked under her chin. Despite her earlier altercation with Morgan, it had been a good night.

The men had built a fire in the center of the semi-circle surrounded by the gunyahs. Narri, along with a couple of native women from the homestead, had quickly started cooking dinner. Large slabs of steak, sausages for those who wanted them, fried onions, lots of bread and butter, and baked potatoes.

Gili still drooled at the memory of potatoes cooked in the coals. Once the blackened outside was peeled off, the fluffy interior, slathered with fresh butter, just melted on the tongue.